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CNN Sunday Morning
Blair Calls for More Time for U.N. Inspections in Iraq
Aired January 26, 2003 - 08:02 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CHARLES MOLINEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Just one day before U.N. weapons inspectors are supposed to report to the U.N. Security Council, British Prime Minister Tony Blair is joining the chorus calling for enough time for U.N. inspectors to do their job. At the same time, Secretary of State Colin Powell has been talking tough at the World Economic Forum. Let's go live to CNN's Suzanne Malveaux, who is now at the White House -- Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, President Bush is really facing one of the most important weeks of his presidency. This morning he is going to church. We are told that he later on will go for a run. But we are really just 48 hours from what the administration is calling entering the final phase with Iraq.
As you mentioned, Secretary of State Colin Powell in Davos, Switzerland, where he is making the case at the World Economic Forum, laying out the case against Saddam Hussein. The White House position that Saddam Hussein has not complied, will not comply. And now the question simply is what is the world going to do about it?
Secretary Powell outlining the agenda, as well as what you could consider somewhat of a timetable for the administration saying that, yes, they will go ahead and assess the report from the U.N. weapons inspectors on Monday. That the president will deliver his State of the Union address on Tuesday. That both Secretary Powell, as well as the president, will consult with allies, with world leaders on the matter, and that they'll present additional evidence to the U.N. Security Council, outlining making their case. And then we are told that the president will make that critical decision whether or not military action is necessary.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: 1441 is not about inspectors exposing new evidence of Iraq's established failure to disarm. It is about Iraq disclosing the entire extent of its illicit biological, chemical, nuclear and missile activities, and disarming itself of them with the help of inspectors to verify what Iraq is doing. This is not about inspectors finding smoking guns. It is about Iraqis' failure, Iraq's failure, to tell the inspectors where to find those weapons of mass destruction.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: The president will make his case directly to the American people on Tuesday. That's when he is going to be delivering the State of the Union address. Over the last couple of days we have seen the president working with his team of speechwriters over that very critical address. We are told by White House officials that, no, he will not declare war on Iraq, but rather lay out a broad and detailed case against Saddam Hussein that this is really the last diplomatic phase that we are going through with Iraq, and also why the prospect for war is very real -- Charles.
MOLINEAUX: Now Suzanne, this morning we had comments from British Prime Minister Tony Blair that might seem to be a little equivocating on what had been a very strong pro-U.S. position on the Iraq situation. Is a little clarification forthcoming from Blair or from the White House?
MALVEAUX: Well I'm not sure about Blair, but what the White House sees as those comments, they don't rally see them as being contradictory at all. We heard from British Prime Tony Blair, saying that, yes, that they should be given the kind of time that they need, those inspectors. But that it should not be months. That's the same thing the administration is saying as well.
They're not putting any type of cutoffs or deadlines on this, but they're saying, yes, we'll allow those weapons inspectors to continue their jobs while we consult with allies, while we determine what should happen next. But, no, it's not going to be months. It's a matter of weeks before we come to that decision. That is the same thing that British Prime Minister Tony Blair is saying as well.
MOLINEAUX: OK. Thank you very much, Suzanne Malveaux, at the White House.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired January 26, 2003 - 08:02 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CHARLES MOLINEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Just one day before U.N. weapons inspectors are supposed to report to the U.N. Security Council, British Prime Minister Tony Blair is joining the chorus calling for enough time for U.N. inspectors to do their job. At the same time, Secretary of State Colin Powell has been talking tough at the World Economic Forum. Let's go live to CNN's Suzanne Malveaux, who is now at the White House -- Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, President Bush is really facing one of the most important weeks of his presidency. This morning he is going to church. We are told that he later on will go for a run. But we are really just 48 hours from what the administration is calling entering the final phase with Iraq.
As you mentioned, Secretary of State Colin Powell in Davos, Switzerland, where he is making the case at the World Economic Forum, laying out the case against Saddam Hussein. The White House position that Saddam Hussein has not complied, will not comply. And now the question simply is what is the world going to do about it?
Secretary Powell outlining the agenda, as well as what you could consider somewhat of a timetable for the administration saying that, yes, they will go ahead and assess the report from the U.N. weapons inspectors on Monday. That the president will deliver his State of the Union address on Tuesday. That both Secretary Powell, as well as the president, will consult with allies, with world leaders on the matter, and that they'll present additional evidence to the U.N. Security Council, outlining making their case. And then we are told that the president will make that critical decision whether or not military action is necessary.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: 1441 is not about inspectors exposing new evidence of Iraq's established failure to disarm. It is about Iraq disclosing the entire extent of its illicit biological, chemical, nuclear and missile activities, and disarming itself of them with the help of inspectors to verify what Iraq is doing. This is not about inspectors finding smoking guns. It is about Iraqis' failure, Iraq's failure, to tell the inspectors where to find those weapons of mass destruction.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: The president will make his case directly to the American people on Tuesday. That's when he is going to be delivering the State of the Union address. Over the last couple of days we have seen the president working with his team of speechwriters over that very critical address. We are told by White House officials that, no, he will not declare war on Iraq, but rather lay out a broad and detailed case against Saddam Hussein that this is really the last diplomatic phase that we are going through with Iraq, and also why the prospect for war is very real -- Charles.
MOLINEAUX: Now Suzanne, this morning we had comments from British Prime Minister Tony Blair that might seem to be a little equivocating on what had been a very strong pro-U.S. position on the Iraq situation. Is a little clarification forthcoming from Blair or from the White House?
MALVEAUX: Well I'm not sure about Blair, but what the White House sees as those comments, they don't rally see them as being contradictory at all. We heard from British Prime Tony Blair, saying that, yes, that they should be given the kind of time that they need, those inspectors. But that it should not be months. That's the same thing the administration is saying as well.
They're not putting any type of cutoffs or deadlines on this, but they're saying, yes, we'll allow those weapons inspectors to continue their jobs while we consult with allies, while we determine what should happen next. But, no, it's not going to be months. It's a matter of weeks before we come to that decision. That is the same thing that British Prime Minister Tony Blair is saying as well.
MOLINEAUX: OK. Thank you very much, Suzanne Malveaux, at the White House.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
